1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of packaging materials, and more particularly to a novel package filler material used in shipping or transporting fragile articles and which has shock-absorbing capabilities and a machine for making such packaging filler material whereby the user may readily dispense, on site, a quantity of such filler material from a machine which fabricates the filler material in the form of inflated pouches or cells detachably connected together in an in-line series for subsequent separation and use.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In the past, it has been the conventional practice to provide a packaging filler material for protecting fragile articles and composed of small masses of foam composition, such as composed from polystyrene or polyethylene. Such packaging material is used as fillers or stuffers in a storage compartment so as to protect fragile products when transported from one place to another either by commercial or government handling authorities. Such plastic-like pieces of foam are sometimes referred to as xe2x80x9cpeanutsxe2x80x9d because of their peanut-like shape, and in other instances, the foam composition is of irregular form or of special form conforming in shape to the article being transported in the carton. In the instance of xe2x80x9cpeanutsxe2x80x9d, such foam composition is purchased in large bags from a manufacturer and kept in inventory at the user""s site of shipment until ready for usage. This represents a relatively uneconomical means for such packaging material since it requires space for storage at the site of usage and must be purchased before usage from the outside manufacturing sources. In some instances, problems have been encountered by the receiver of shipped packages containing such conventional foam material which stem from disposal problems since some plastic foam compositions are not acceptable for recycling procedures.
Another prior packaging filler material takes the form of a unitary sheet having singular or a multiplicity of integrally formed air bubbles or pouches that are connected together on the sheet and are not separable. Such sheets are manufactured off-site from their location of use and are generally stored in rolls at the location of use after purchase and supply by the manufacturer as noted above. Also, the user must either fold the sheet to fit the article to be shipped, or specifically cut the sheet to accommodate the package.
Most all presently availalbe package fillers, such as xe2x80x9cPopcornxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cPeanutxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9crows of bubblesxe2x80x9d are made in factories requiring vast floor space to manufacture and inventory the volume of package filler material distribution. This procedure requires further processing energy as well as other resources that are wasted. Shipment and distribution to the using site requires packing in storage bags, barrels, cartons or the like.
Attempts to provide on-site fabrication machinery for producing a quantity of shock absorbing cells is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,216,868 while other machines and pouches are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,340,669; 4,747,253; and 5,552,003. Although successful for the machinery""s intended purposes, the prior machines require considerable moving parts, timing functions and control stations. These create problems and difficulties that need to be avoided for on-site manufacture and use of package filler materials. Also, slippage of the bulk material in the advancing system of conventional machines causes problems in pouch inflation as well as in sealing of the pouches.
A conventional packaging filler product and a known machine for making the product is disclosed wherein the product includes a plurality of air-filled pouches defined between a pair of sheets in which each pouch includes sealed edges connecting the opposing sheets of the pouch together to provide a shock-absorbing xe2x80x9cpillowxe2x80x9d construction. The machine includes a pouch advancing system for moving a bulk sheet supply of pouched package material past an inflation device for serially inflating the interior of each pouch of the package material followed by employing a sealer system that seals the opening into the interior of each pouch to retain inflation. However, the advancing system fails to maintain pouch inflation during the inflation procedure as leakage occurs prior to sealing of the pouch. Also, speed of production is greatly limited since frequent stopping of the bulk supply advance is necessary in most conventional machines.
Therefore, a long-standing need has existed to provide a novel packaging filler material which need not be stored in inventory at the point of manufacture and shipment, but which may be fabricated by the user on-site at the time that such material is needed. The on-site fabricated product will not only protect the object being shipped in the carton or package but can be disposed of by the recipient once the package has been opened and the shipped article removed. Furthermore, such a desired packaging material must be relatively inexpensive to manufacture as compared to foam or foam-like compositions. Preferably, the production of the packaging material should avoid the creation of waste or scrap and the inflation and sealing of individual pouches as well as the advancement system for the bulk supply must be kept to a simple and uncomplicated procedure.
Accordingly, the above problems and difficulties are avoided by the present invention which provides a novel machine for producing a packaging filler material comprised of at least one or more inflated pouches or cells fabricated from a tubular supply of plastic-like material having a top and bottom integral fold so that a pair of sheets are defined therebetween with their opposing inner surfaces establishing the pouches or cells. Sealed strips, which are spaced apart in parallel relationship, define the sides of each pouch. Such a machine includes several processing or work stations with the first station being a source of tubular material that is introduced to a cutter station for severing the top fold of the tubular material followed by introduction to an inflation station where a source of pressurized fluid is fed to the top cut fold into the pouch defined by the opposing inner surfaces thereof. A sealing means follows the inflation station where the top opening to the pouch is closed such as by heat sealing and a plurality of idler rollers smoothly conduct the material past each of the respective stations in a serial fashion. An advancing system in the form of a rotary drum and belt drive cooperate to transport the supply material about the idler rollers with the respective pouches being introduced to each operational station. Individual pouches or cells may be separated from the bulk sheet material by separating the selected pouches or cells along perforations in the sealed strips.
In one form of the machine, the tubular supply of material with pre-formed pouches or cells is fed to the inventive machine sequenced so that the series of multiple stations will effect cutting of the top fold of the tubular supply, inflation of each pouch or cell followed by sealing each pouch or cell along its length to define a plurality of inflated pouches or cells.
Therefore, it is among the primary objects of the present invention to provide a novel packaging or filler material which is an inflated pouch or cell and which may be combined with other separate pouches or cells to form a shock-absorbing and stuffing material to be carried in cartons or shipping containers about a fragile object to be transported.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel packaging material that may be readily produced at the site of shipping and which may comprise one or more air-filled pockets or cells in a strip for use in the shipping process.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel machine for producing a series of air-filled pouches, pockets or cells in a strip so that the user may dispense as many pouches as required for article protection purposes during a shipping.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a novel machine for producing a package material for article protection that is produced from a tubular supply having a continuous series of pouches that is initially opened, inflated and sealed to enclose air, followed by dividing the air-filled pouches into a plurality of inflated pouches in an end-to-end relationship.
Another object relates to the subsequent disposal of the inventive pouches, pockets or cells which permits ready deflation and destruction of used material for environmental purposes such as recycling.
A further object resides in using a tubular supply of material that is flattened with two material sheets joined at top and bottom edges by folds which is then formed into a series of pouches that are inflated and sealed and useful as filler material to protect fragile articles being shipped.